Arts groups across Orlando look toward construction finish line

When it comes to construction, arts leaders have found it's a long, complicated road to opening night.

A tangle of regulations, financing and artistic decisions must be overcome before the curtain rises, though projects in several high-profile Central Florida neighborhoods now have their debuts in sight — even if they are later than planned.

"Arts groups are used to being patient," said Mitzi Maxwell, executive director of Orlando's Mad Cow Theatre, which is moving to Church Street. "That's part of our DNA."

Mad Cow Theatre should know. The company had to delay the opening of its new, larger space fromJanuary until next week. As a result, officials had to juggle the season's schedule so its signature show, "Sunday in the Park with George," could open with the new location.

Jessica Mariko can sympathize. The founder of the DRIP performance troupe planned to welcome the first audience to her new theater during ArtsFest in February. Seven months later, construction has just wrapped up at the International Drive venue.

And when officials first split the construction of the new downtown arts center into two phases, they hoped the first portion of the project would be completed in 2013. The current plan is for the Dr. Phillips Center for the Performing Arts tobegin hosting shows in the fall of 2014.

The challenges of creating performing-arts venues, whether big or small, contribute to the delays.The structures themselves have odd requirements — a theater can't have windows, for example, because they interfere with stage lighting. Local governments are generally involved, adding a layer of red tape.

Also, arts projects tend to rely on volunteers, both for labor and donations. When the economy takes a nose dive, so does the money available to build.

The evaporation of tourist-development taxes, a funding source for the Dr. Phillips performing-arts center, led to the two-phase plan. The first phase has an aggressive 37-month timeline that began with a June 2011 groundbreaking.

Construction officials at the downtown site literally have their eyes on the clock. A digital countdown clock marks the time — in tenths of a second — until a key deadline about 500 days away. At 5 p.m. April 1, 2014, the center should reach "substantial completion," meaning it will be suitable for occupancy by employees. Finishing touches and tests will then be carried out so the center is ready for the public that fall.

"You stand there and look at the clock," said Clint Jackson of PCL Construction Services, the company leading development of the center. "You can watch tenths of a second of your life going away."

Ben Manning, superintendent for primary contractor Balfour Beatty Construction, agrees that time is on everyone's mind during such a massive project.

"Three years ago we were like, 'Yeah, three years,' " he said. "Now it's, 'What happened to the last 18 months?' "

The Mad Cow Theatre project is much smaller in scale — and much closer to the finish line. The theater company had rented space downtown for nearly a decade. For most of that time, theater leaders and city officials were working on a plan for a more permanent home.

Under a deal with the city, Mad Cow will lease space just a few blocks from its previous home. The complexity of the deal, which involved meetings with developers and poring over legal documents and restrictions, slowed things down, Maxwell said.

The theater company closed its last shows in its former home at the end of August. As patrons departed, theater employees already were rolling racks of costumes out the door. The new venue will open Oct. 6.

At DRIP, which has taken over a former golf shop in the I-Drive tourist district, a special theater had to be built. The show, which has been a hit at the Orlando International Fringe Theatre Festival, involves dousing dancers with colored paint, sand and powders.

"We're totally redefining the term 'splash zone,' " Mariko said.

The search for a venue began two years ago. Once the spot was picked, though, the project was beset with delays.

"It's a combination of lease agreement, county codes, architects and contractors, and getting everyone on the same page and everyone moving at the same time," Mariko said.

Her theater was delayed by additional construction tomeet county-code requirements. In the meantime, Mariko had to let her original cast of performers go.

"They couldn't put their lives on hold for a year," she said.

Mariko still has the contact information of those who received the free ArtsFest tickets back in February. She plans to offer them free tickets to the show's opening performances, now planned for November, and hopes they'll understand.

"There's no way to predict everything that's going to happen," she said. "There are so many unexpected things."

Even with the challenges, arts groups are undeterred. Paul and Leesa Castaneda recently renovated space in a Winter Park business complex for their Greater Orlando Actors Theatre. They covered decorative skylights with fabric and have presented two shows in the space during the past few weeks.

In Orlando's Ivanhoe Village neighborhood, choreographer Blue Star has turned an old yoga studio into a performance space that debuted this month. Her work force? Fans and friends.

Maxwell, of the Mad Cow, said she'll be glad when her theater opens and she can turn from construction plans to more artistic endeavors.

"This has been a really big project," she said with a sigh. "We're eager to get back to planning shows."